APLong-term unemployment has grown to crisis levels according to a report from the Michigan League for Human Services.

People out of work for longer than six months make up a growing share of the unemployed in Michigan, and minority workers are more likely to be unemployed long-term, according to a new report released today from the Michigan League for Human Services.

The report, Labor Day Report: Long-Term Unemployment is at Crisis Level, reveals that 41 percent of unemployed Michiganders had been out of work longer than six months in 2009, up from just 6.5 percent in 2000. Nearly 273,000 workers each month in 2009 were out of work for more than six months, according to the report.

Michigan's 2009 unemployment rate was 13.6 percent. When broken down by race, the 2009 unemployment rate for white and Asian workers was 12 percent, but was 16.6 percent for Hispanic workers and 21 percent for African American workers.

The report also takes a look at underemployment in Michigan. The underemployment rate includes those who are working part-time but would prefer full-time jobs; those unable to work because of with barriers such as lack of child
care or transportation; and discouraged workers who are unemployed but
have given up looking for work.

In 2009, Michigan's underemployment rate was 21.5 percent, but underemployment was higher for some minority groups with 33 percent of African American workers and 28 percent of Hispanic workers underemployed, compared with 20 percent of white workers.

"As we pause to celebrate Labor Day this weekend, it’s important to
focus on those in Michigan who have been struggling for many months
without jobs or with jobs that don’t meet their families’ basic needs,"
said Sharon Parks, president and CEO of the Michigan League for Human
Services. "Those workers and their families are the real victims of the
ongoing difficult economy."

The report makes a number of recommendations, including fully funding
the No Worker Left Behind program, modernizing Michigan’s Unemployment
Insurance system in order to draw an additional $139 million in federal
Recovery Act funds and increasing the maximum amount of cash assistance available to needy families
from its current rate of $492 per month.

"Families in Michigan will need ongoing support as we work our way through this tough, tough period of joblessness," Parks said.